WORLD CONTRACEPTION DAY
World Contraception Day (WCD) is a worldwide campaign with a vision for a world where every pregnancy is wanted. Its mission is to improve awareness of contraception to enable young people to make informed decisions on sexual and reproductive health. The focus of this year’s campaign is to encourage teenagers to talk to people they trust, so they have all the information they need to avoid an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI).
The campaign is supported by Bayer Schering Pharma and driven by a coalition of ten international organizations with an interest in sexual health, including:
- Asian Pacific Council on Contraception (APCOC)
- Centro Latinamericano Salud y Mujer (CELSAM)
- European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESC)
- German Foundation for World Population (DSW)
- International Federation of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ)
- International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
- Marie Stopes International (MSI)
- Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF)
- The Population Council
- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
World Contraception Day is an annual event taking place on 26th September each year. Every year, countries and regions around the world organize events to mark World Contraception Day and to demonstrate their commitment to raising awareness of contraception and improving education regarding reproductive and sexual health.
The motto for 2009 is Your Life, Your Voice: Talk Contraception and is focused on encouraging young people, specifically 15-19 year olds, to talk to people they trust about sex and contraception.
This year World Contraception Day is being marked by an online media event kicked off by 2008 World Contraception Day global ambassador Kelly Osbourne, who will be handing over to the Youth Taskforce, the global ambassadors for 2009. For further information about the Youth Taskforce click HERE.
This website is an important part of the campaign and is packed full of useful information about contraception and sexual health, as well as insightful videos and updates from the Youth Taskforce. The site also contains a database of healthcare resources in your local area in case you want to talk to someone about sex and contraception.
